Moving closer to son’s college ill- advised for empty nester

I have real anxieties about this and have been seeing a counselor as well as my doctor, who prescribed a mild antidepressant.

Dear Indecisive: While some degree of empty-nest syndrome is normal, what you are experiencing is not. Keep the conversation open with your husband about relocating to Arizona. Your son needs a chance to become independent.

You say your husband can’t tolerate the Florida humidity. Is it your intention to impose it on him? It would create unnecessary stress on your marriage. Further, what will happen after your son earns his degrees and is offered a job elsewhere? Do you plan to move again to be close to him?

With time, your anxiety will subside, and you will become less emotionally dependent upon your son.

Dear Abby: These days you seem to hear from more and more people who are afraid of saying what needs to be said. And why is it that when people do speak their minds, others consider them rude? I let people know when they are disrespectful to me in public, and I don’t put up with being put down. Am I wrong in feeling that people who say mean things need to be immediately corrected? —

Dear Farmgirl: You are not wrong, and it is not rude if you choose to defend yourself. What you are being is assertive, which is a healthy personality trait. No one should have to accept as normal social interaction being made to feel “less than” in public.